Common type of inflammatory bowel disease linked to toxic bacteriaThu, 20 Nov 2025 19:00:37 +0000 The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD | |
Moss spores survive and germinate after 283-day 'space walk'Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:00:07 +0000 Astronauts strapped moss spores to the outside of the International Space Station for nine months - and most of them survived the challenging experience | |
Mouse 'midwives' help their pregnant companions give birthThu, 20 Nov 2025 14:00:06 +0000 Scientists have observed mice helping each other when they encounter difficulties during birth, prompting a rethink of caregiving among rodents and other animals | |
Imagining a future where smart glasses allow 'AI slop' to be avoidedWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 In the latest in our imagined history of inventions yet to come, Future Chronicles columnist Rowan Hooper reveals how an ingenious way to avoid being swamped by AI content was invented in the late 2020s | |
Daily pill could offer alternative to weight-loss injectionsThu, 20 Nov 2025 11:45:18 +0000 Orforglipron, a GLP-1 drug taken as a pill, achieved positive results in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, although it seems less effective than injectable drugs | |
Cars are getting bigger. This is a problem for us and for the planetWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Sport utility vehicles and other larger cars are becoming more and more common, and this is dangerous for our health in many ways. But we have ways to counter "carspreading", says Anthony Laverty | |
Physics of light and magnetism rewritten after almost two centuriesWed, 19 Nov 2025 10:00:25 +0000 An experiment 180 years ago first demonstrated a connection between light and electromagnetism – but the link is deeper than we thought | |
Vanishing Y chromosomes could aid or worsen lung cancer outcomesThu, 20 Nov 2025 09:00:56 +0000 The health impacts of men losing their Y chromosome from their cells are increasingly coming to light, with the loss playing a complicated role in the most common form of lung cancer | |
Who finds dad jokes funniest? The answer might not astonish youWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback is delighted to discover that two academics have taken a scholarly interest in dad jokes, but is unsurprised by their key finding: the people who most enjoy dad jokes are dads | |
An ambitious look at quantum physics is fun – but overdoes it a littleWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Attempts to describe quantum physics are rarely enjoyable, but Paul Davies' zeal in Quantum 2.0 sometimes steers too close to hype, finds Karmela Padavic-Callaghan | |
We’ve found an unexpected structure in the solar system’s Kuiper beltWed, 19 Nov 2025 20:00:05 +0000 A newly discovered cluster of objects called the “inner kernel” of the Kuiper belt could teach us about the early history of the solar system – including the movement of Neptune | |
Mosquito proboscis repurposed as a fine nozzle for 3D printingWed, 19 Nov 2025 19:00:36 +0000 When engineers struggled to make 3D printer nozzles narrow enough for their needs, they turned to nature and found the proboscis of a female mosquito had exactly the properties they needed | |
Climate heating has reached even deepest parts of the Arctic OceanWed, 19 Nov 2025 19:00:17 +0000 The depths of the Arctic Ocean have warmed more than scientists expected. New research has placed the blame on warmer water from Greenland | |
Why quasicrystals shouldn’t exist but are turning up in strange placesWed, 19 Nov 2025 16:00:35 +0000 Matter with “forbidden” symmetries was once thought to be confined to lab experiments, but is now being found in some of the world’s most extreme environments | |
Google's Gemini 3 model keeps the AI hype train going – for nowWed, 19 Nov 2025 15:38:51 +0000 Google’s latest model reportedly beats its rivals in several benchmark tests, but issues with reliability mean concerns remain over a possible AI bubble | |
Quantum computers that recycle their qubits can limit errorsWed, 19 Nov 2025 15:00:49 +0000 To make quantum computers more efficient and reliable, some of their basic components must be constantly reused – several quantum computer designs can now do just that | |
Kissing may have evolved in an ape ancestor 21 million years agoWed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:57 +0000 Rather than being a recent cultural development, kissing may have been practised by other early humans like Neanderthals and our ape ancestors | |
Four-fifths of the world's population now live in urban areasTue, 18 Nov 2025 17:30:13 +0000 A comprehensive UN report has found that cities and towns are home to 81 per cent of the world’s population, much more than previously thought | |
We can finally hear the long-hidden music of the Stone AgeTue, 18 Nov 2025 16:00:21 +0000 Ancient rock art was meant to be heard as well as seen and now acoustic archaeologists are bringing the sounds of prehistoric rituals to life | |
Mathematicians say Google's AI tools are supercharging their researchTue, 18 Nov 2025 12:14:09 +0000 AlphaEvolve, an AI system created by Google DeepMind, is helping mathematicians do research at a scale that was previously impossible - even if it does occasionally "cheat" to find a solution | |
The forgotten women of quantum physicsFri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:06 +0000 Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its inception | |
What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:19:28 +0000 Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best | |
Vast Bronze Age city discovered in the plains of KazakhstanTue, 18 Nov 2025 00:01:22 +0000 A major settlement in Central Asia called Semiyarka dating back to 1600 BC had houses, a big central building and even an industrial zone for producing copper and bronze | |
Ancient figurine may show sexual encounter between woman and gooseMon, 17 Nov 2025 20:00:09 +0000 A 12,000-year-old clay sculpture found in Israel depicts a goose on the back of a woman, and archaeologists suggest it may be a depiction of an animistic mythological scene | |
Neanderthals' hefty noses weren’t well adapted to cold climatesMon, 17 Nov 2025 20:00:05 +0000 Neanderthals were thought to have structures inside their noses that helped them deal with the cold, but analysis of an exceptionally preserved specimen contradicts that | |
Parasitic ant tricks workers into killing their queen, then usurps herMon, 17 Nov 2025 16:00:52 +0000 Some ants kill the queens of another species and take over their colonies, but we now know at least one species gets workers to do the dirty work for them through a kind of chemical subterfuge | |
The vital, overlooked role of body fat in shaping your health and mindMon, 17 Nov 2025 16:00:22 +0000 The discovery that fat is a communicative organ with a role in everything from bone health to mood is forcing a rethink of how we view our bodies | |
Rapid melt from Antarctica could help preserve crucial ocean currentFri, 14 Nov 2025 19:00:27 +0000 Greenland’s melt is expected to slow the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but research suggests a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet could in some cases prevent it from shutting down | |
Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us allWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone | |
The 19th-century maths that can help you deal with horrible coffeeWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Do you need to fairly allocate players to teams, or sort out a pot of badly brewed coffee? Katie Steckles has a mathematical solution | |
Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know whyTue, 11 Nov 2025 16:00:38 +0000 Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women | |
Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell youWed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00:37 +0000 When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells New Scientist about his 50-year career in planetary defence | |
Breaking Bad showrunner uses sci-fi for smart dive into happinessWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Vince Gilligan, the showrunner behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is back, this time using sci-fi to explore a deceptively rich premise about the pursuit of happiness and the notion of utopia, finds Bethan Ackerley | |
Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditchMon, 10 Nov 2025 16:00:25 +0000 We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health | |
Cuts and scrapes may be slower to heal in redheadsFri, 14 Nov 2025 17:00:28 +0000 Mice with the same genetic variant that contributes towards red hair in people were slower to recover from wounds than their black-haired counterparts | |
Oldest ever RNA sample recovered from woolly mammothFri, 14 Nov 2025 16:00:15 +0000 RNA from an exceptionally well preserved woolly mammoth gives us a window on gene activity in an animal that died nearly 40,000 years ago | |
Mystery deepens as isolated galaxy forms stars with no obvious fuelFri, 14 Nov 2025 15:42:21 +0000 A galaxy in a practically empty area of the universe seems to be impossibly forming stars, and new observations have only deepened the puzzle | |
The 19 best Christmas gifts for science lovers (and nerds)Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:00:01 +0000 From microscopes to geodes, New Scientist staff share their top Christmas present ideas in a gift guide unlike any you’ve seen before | |
Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheetMon, 10 Nov 2025 00:01:52 +0000 Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax | |
New Scientist recommends this extreme birdwatching documentaryWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week | |
Remarkable robot images provide a vision of the futureWed, 12 Nov 2025 17:26:18 +0000 These photographs of humanoid robots by Henrik Spohler are part of his project Tomorrow Is the Question | |
Smart new book takes an axe to the myth of human exceptionalismWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt | |
Is the future of education outside universities?Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 New technologies and academic funding cuts are upending the ways we learn today. Newly enrolled student Annalee Newitz finds some silver linings | |
AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about itMon, 10 Nov 2025 14:30:13 +0000 There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way | |
Ancient silver goblet preserves oldest known image of cosmic creationThu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:27 +0000 The images hammered into the sides of a goblet found in Palestine give us an idea of what people living more than 4000 years ago imagined the creation of the cosmos looked like | |
Analysing Hitler's DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing usefulThu, 13 Nov 2025 10:18:45 +0000 To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page | |
Why aren't young people having sex any more?Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:00:26 +0000 Sexual activity in young people is on the decline, but why? And what's more, should we be worried about what this means for society and the future of the human race? | |
Sperm are selfish – and so are weWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman | |
Kim Kardashian has wrangled an invite to NASA HQ. Can we get one too?Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Reality TV star Kim Kardashian apparently thinks the 1969 moon landing was fake. If Feedback comes up with an equally outlandish conspiracy theory, maybe we can also get a guided tour of NASA | |
Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNAWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Francis Crick's biography is full of surprises as author Matthew Cobb reveals the life and work of the co-discoverer of DNA's structure, finds Michael Le Page | |
Fossil fuel emissions rise again – but China's are levelling offThu, 13 Nov 2025 00:01:49 +0000 Global emissions from fossil fuels are expected to hit another record high in 2025, but China’s carbon emissions appear to be reaching a peak | |
Strongest evidence yet that the Epstein-Barr virus causes lupusWed, 12 Nov 2025 19:00:02 +0000 Lupus has been linked to the Epstein-Barr virus – which causes glandular fever, or mono – before, but we now have evidence of how it can bring about the autoimmune condition | |
Sex could help wounds heal faster by reducing stressWed, 12 Nov 2025 17:17:38 +0000 Mild wounds healed faster if people took a spray containing the "love hormone" oxytocin and set aside time to praise their partner – but they cleared up even quicker if these individuals were also intimate with their other half | |
Huge cloud of plasma belched out by star 130 light years awayWed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00:59 +0000 A coronal mass ejection from a distant star has been confirmed for the first time, raising questions about how such events could impact exoplanet habitability | |
IBM has unveiled two unprecedentedly complex quantum computersWed, 12 Nov 2025 11:00:34 +0000 IBM revealed two new quantum computers, called Loon and Nighthawk – the qubits they use are connected in newly intricate ways and may enable a way to run error-free computations | |
Chemical computer can recognise patterns and perform multiple tasksWed, 12 Nov 2025 14:00:27 +0000 Previous attempts at building a chemical computer have been too simple, too rigid or too hard to scale, but an approach based on a network of reactions can perform multiple tasks without having to be reconfigured | |
Women prefer to be prettier than a partner, but men want to be funnierWed, 12 Nov 2025 12:00:32 +0000 When measuring yourself against your partner, which traits do you prefer to have compared with your significant other? A survey that forced people to choose has found that men and women have different preferences when it comes to being smarter, funnier or more attractive | |
Our bodies are ageing faster than ever. Can we hit the brakes?Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:00:59 +0000 All over the world people are ageing more rapidly and succumbing to diseases that typically affected the elderly. But there are ways to turn back the clock on your biological age | |
Cradle of humanity is still revealing new insights about our originsTue, 11 Nov 2025 18:00:24 +0000 The Omo-Turkana basin in Africa is home to a treasure trove of ancient human fossils and tools that span 300,000 years – today it is still yielding new discoveries about our species | |
At-home hypnosis relieves menopausal hot flushesTue, 11 Nov 2025 17:25:39 +0000 Hot flushes could be relieved by listening to recordings that induce hypnosis from home, rather than having to venture to a clinic | |
Static electricity can remove frost from windows using little energyTue, 11 Nov 2025 15:23:54 +0000 High-voltage copper plates can remove up to three-quarters of frost from a surface, while using much less energy than conventional heating | |
Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon may rise to 30 per centTue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:32 +0000 In February, the James Webb Space Telescope will briefly be able to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 4 per cent chance of hitting the moon in 2032. Depending on what it sees, the odds of collision could drastically increase | |
Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a suddenMon, 10 Nov 2025 15:00:48 +0000 Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states | |
The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computerTue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:12 +0000 For over a decade, mathematicians have failed to agree whether a 500-page proof is actually correct. Now, translating the proof into a computer-readable form may finally settle the matter | |
Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past lifeTue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:45 +0000 Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life | |
Ultrasound may boost survival after a stroke by clearing brain debrisMon, 10 Nov 2025 16:00:16 +0000 The damage of strokes caused by brain bleeds can be mitigated by removing dead blood cells. Scientists have now found a way of doing this non-invasively, with promising results in mice | |
Could electric race cars soon be faster than Formula 1?Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:00:07 +0000 The electric cars of the Formula E racing championship can accelerate faster than Formula 1 cars and their top speeds are catching up – but battery capacity would let them down in a head-to-head | |
When rift lakes dry up it can cause earthquakes and eruptionsMon, 10 Nov 2025 10:00:41 +0000 Lake Turkana in Kenya, known as the cradle of humanity, has shrunk in recent millennia – and the loss of water has led to increased seismic activity, which could have impacted our ancient ancestors | |
AI power use forecast finds the industry far off track to net zeroMon, 10 Nov 2025 10:00:32 +0000 Several large tech firms that are active in AI have set goals to hit net zero by 2030, but a new forecast of the energy and water required to run large data centres shows they’re unlikely to meet those targets | |
Here's how to spot the Leonid meteor shower this monthWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 A new moon on 20 November means there is a great opportunity to enjoy the Leonid meteor shower this year, says Abigail Beall. Just make sure to get warm and comfy first | |
What we’re learning about consciousness from master meditators’ brainsWed, 05 Nov 2025 16:00:12 +0000 Neuroscientist Matthew Sacchet is revealing how mastering meditation can not only enable transcendental states of bliss, but also reshape how we experience pain and emotion | |
James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix, has died aged 97Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:13:45 +0000 As one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, James Watson pioneered the field of genetics and left behind a complicated legacy | |
How preppers plan to save us if the whole internet collapsesTue, 04 Nov 2025 16:00:14 +0000 Recent outages have revealed how vulnerable the internet is, but there seems to be no official plan in the event of a catastrophic failure. Meet the team of hackers who are ready to jump into action | |
Enceladus’s ocean may be even better for life than we realisedFri, 07 Nov 2025 19:00:48 +0000 The buried ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus seems to be stable across extremely long periods of time, making it an even more promising place to hunt for life | |
Having children plays a complicated role in the rate we ageFri, 07 Nov 2025 19:00:24 +0000 The effort of reproducing may divert energy away from repairing DNA or fighting illness, which could drive ageing, but a new study suggests that is only the case when environmental conditions are tough | |
A distant galaxy is being strangled by the cosmic webFri, 07 Nov 2025 16:00:45 +0000 A dwarf galaxy 100 million light years away is being stripped of its crucial star-forming gas, and it seems that the cosmic web is siphoning off this gas as the galaxy passes through | |
We may never figure out where interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came fromFri, 07 Nov 2025 15:00:27 +0000 The surface of comet 3I/ATLAS may have been so radically altered by cosmic rays that deducing its home star system would be impossible | |
New Scientist recommends the cult film Hackers – 30 years lateWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week | |
The Trump administration is playing peekaboo with realityWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 By cutting surveys of public health, the US government won't be able to properly tackle problems ranging from drug addiction to food insecurity | |
Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire's vast road networkThu, 06 Nov 2025 16:00:09 +0000 Archaeologists have compiled the most detailed map yet of roads throughout the Roman Empire in AD 150, totalling almost 300,000 kilometres in length | |
A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected wayThu, 06 Nov 2025 18:00:15 +0000 Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy | |
New book tells compelling tale of the fight to save the Siberian tigerWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The battle to save the magnificent but endangered Amur tiger detailed in Jonathan Slaght's Tigers Between Empires is an inspiring look at what collaboration across borders can achieve, finds Adam Weymouth | |
Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland's earliest settlersWed, 05 Nov 2025 12:00:34 +0000 Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn't chop down the island's forests | |
Is a robot programmed to prank you annoying? YesWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback discovers a robot that can mimic Turkish ice cream vendors, who are known for playing tricks on their customers. Researchers concluded that customers, perhaps predictably, don't trust it | |
Human minds abhor uncertainty. This is a problem for liberal democracyWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Neurologically, the flexibility of the future promised by liberal democracy can be a challenge because it brings with it uncertainty. But there are solutions, say Florence Gaub and Liya Yu | |
This book is a great insight into the new science of microchimerismWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Lise Barnéoud's Hidden Guests shows how this fascinating new field brings with it profound implications for medicine, and even what it means to be human, finds Helen Thomson | |
Grafting trick could let us gene-edit a huge variety of plantsThu, 06 Nov 2025 09:00:22 +0000 Many plants including cocoa, coffee and avocado cannot be gene-edited but a technique involving grafting could change that, opening the door to more productive and nutritious varieties | |
Skeleton with brutal injuries identified as duke assassinated in 1272Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:00:36 +0000 The identity of a skeleton buried under a Budapest convent has been confirmed as Béla of Macsó, a Hungarian royal murdered in a 13th-century power struggle, and archaeologists have pieced together how the attack unfolded | |
Deep-space sci-fi novel is delightful, profound and not to be missedWed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 A planet is about to be destroyed by the collapse of a binary star system in Slow Gods, Claire North’s first venture into classic science fiction. Read it! says Emily H. Wilson | |
Is the expansion of the universe slowing down?Thu, 06 Nov 2025 02:38:21 +0000 It is widely accepted that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but now researchers say our measurements of the mysterious force driving that may be wrong and that the universe began to slow 1.5 billion years ago – yet other scientists disagree | |
New quantum computer is on the path to unravelling superconductivityWed, 05 Nov 2025 20:00:19 +0000 Using the Helios-1 quantum computer, researchers have used a record-breaking number of error-proof qubits to run the first and biggest quantum simulation of a model for perfect conductivity | |
Lumpy ‘caterpillar wormholes’ may connect entangled black holesWed, 05 Nov 2025 17:00:18 +0000 A mathematical model suggests that when a pair of black holes gets quantum entangled, this can give rise to a lumpy space-time tunnel between them | |
Toxic algae blighting South Australia could pose a global threatWed, 05 Nov 2025 14:00:05 +0000 Researchers warn that the alga Karenia cristata, which has killed around a million animals in Australian waters in one of the biggest algal blooms ever seen, could harm marine life elsewhere | |
Cavities could be prevented by a gel that restores tooth enamelTue, 04 Nov 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Enamel does not naturally regenerate, which can lead to painful cavities, but a gel that harnesses some of the properties of saliva could restore the hard, shiny layer to teeth | |
COP30: What’s on the agenda at the Belém climate summitWed, 05 Nov 2025 08:00:22 +0000 Initiatives on the table at COP30 aim to evaluate which countries are most vulnerable, support efforts to clean up industries and pay for the protection of tropical forests | |
Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccinationTue, 04 Nov 2025 23:30:20 +0000 Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective | |
The fascinating story of the ultimate cosmic lawTue, 04 Nov 2025 18:00:39 +0000 How do we know the speed of light – and why does it have a speed limit at all? Leah Crane explores the history of one of the most important numbers in the universe | |
We're closing in on how genetics may influence your PCOS riskTue, 04 Nov 2025 17:00:44 +0000 In the largest genetic analysis of polycystic ovary syndrome to date, scientists have identified new variants linked to the condition, which could help us treat it more effectively | |
COP30: Can Brazil summit get climate negotiations back on track?Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:00:40 +0000 Expectations are low for the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, but the host’s pragmatic approach could help make progress on implementation | |
Advanced quantum network could be a prototype for the quantum internetTue, 04 Nov 2025 10:37:24 +0000 Building a working quantum internet would require overcoming a host of technical challenges, but researchers who have built one of the most advanced quantum networks to date say they think it is possible | |